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BROOKLYN, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--November 12, 2013-- MakerBot is on a mission: to put a MakerBot Desktop 3D Printer in every school in America. This initiative is a unique partnership between MakerBot, DonorsChoose.org America Makes, and Autodesk, and was a response to a call to action by the President of the United States. In the recent State of the Union Address, President Barack Obama announced a new initiative to bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. He affirmed, "3D printing has the potential to revolutionize the way we make almost everything. We must ensure that the Next Industrial Revolution in manufacturing will happen in America. We can get that done."

MakerBot was inspired by the President's commitment to keep America at the forefront of the Next Industrial Revolution and is eager to do its part to educate today's students, who are the next generation of innovative makers, engineers, product designers, architects, and artists, who could benefit from having 3D printing technology in the classroom.

"We are thrilled that MakerBot and America Makes are joining a growing coalition of citizens working to give American students the ability to design and make almost anything," said Tom Kalil, deputy director for Technology and Innovation, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. "As the President has said, we all need to think creatively about giving our young people the tools to be 'the makers of things, and not just the consumers of things.'"

Beginning November 12, 2013, individuals and corporations interested in helping get MakerBot Desktop 3D Printers in schools can visit DonorsChoose.org, a crowd funding site just for teachers, and pledge to financially support the program. Teachers then register on DonorsChoose.org for a MakerBot Academy bundle. MakerBot is contributing its own resources to launch this education initiative, along with key partners. Bre Pettis, CEO of MakerBot, has personally pledged to put a MakerBot(R) Replicator(R) 2 Desktop 3D Printer in public high schools in MakerBot's hometown of Brooklyn, N.Y. In addition, Ralph Crump, original inventor of FDM 3D printing technology and founder of Stratasys, has pledged his support. Pettis encourages everyone to join MakerBot in this effort at an individual or corporate level to help move America's students to the forefront of technology and global competitiveness.

"To get this done, we are going to have to do it together," said Bre Pettis, CEO of MakerBot.

Each MakerBot Academy bundle contains a MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer, three spools of MakerBot(R) PLA Filament, and a full year of the MakerBot MakerCare(TM) Service and Protection Plan. MakerBot will also support the teachers with the development of ongoing 3D printing curriculum that teachers can participate in and utilize in the classroom. MakerBot will leverage Autodesk's software and educator curriculum as well.

"Autodesk signed on as a key partner in the MakerBot Academy initiative because helping students unlock their creativity and prepare for future careers is a core part of our mission," said Samir Hanna, Autodesk vice president, consumer products. "Bringing together accessible applications like Autodesk TinkerCAD project-based curriculum from our instructables.com community and the MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer will inspire and engage the next generation of design-minded students."

MakerBot is also launching a MakerBot Thingiverse Math Manipulatives Challenge. Math Manipulatives are one of the most requested items on DonorsChoose.org and are an item that can easily be 3D printed in the classroom. The MakerBot Thingiverse website will hold a week-long design challenge, from November 12 through 18, 2013, for its members to quickly develop a variety of different math manipulative 3D designs that can then be available immediately to teachers that receive the MakerBot Academy 3D printing package.

"As a former teacher, I believe strongly in creating a new model for innovation. A MakerBot is a manufacturing education in a box," said Bre Pettis. "We need to encourage our teachers and our youth to think differently about manufacturing and innovation. When you have a MakerBot Desktop 3D Printer, you see the world differently. Instead of waiting for someone to create a product for you, you can create your own. It can change the whole paradigm of how our children will see innovation and manufacturing in America."

To bring manufacturing back to America, students of today must be exposed to and experienced in advanced manufacturing tools that can assist them in securing engineering, architecture, product design and manufacturing jobs tomorrow. To do that, they must have access to these tools that can help take their education to a new level and empower them to think differently about the world and manufacturing. MakerBot sees this as an opportunity to bring 3D printing into our schools and classrooms.Ralph Resnick, founding director of America Makes said, "We need to nurture the minds of America's youth today, in order to create a strong workforce for tomorrow. This is a key tenet of the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, so when MakerBot approached us with this opportunity, we were eager to show our full support. When America Makes, America Works.""We are so grateful to MakerBot and its partners for undertaking this mission," said Charles Best, founder of DonorsChoose.org. "Thanks to this movement, hundreds of thousands of students will have the opportunity to make and innovate in their own classrooms."

"Initiatives like the MakerBot Academy are further examples of how New York City's technology community is leading the way to help young people be better prepared for their future careers," said Rachel Haot, New York City's Chief Digital Officer. "Collaboration and education are key components to keep our workforce competitive and innovative."

Here's how it works:Visit DonorsChoose.org and pledge your support. Individuals and corporations can help fund the MakerBot Academy 3D Printing package by making a tax-deductible donation via DonorsChoose.org.

Then tell schoolteachers about the MakerBot Academy program and encourage them to register on DonorsChoose.org right away. Students and their community can also help teachers raise the additional funds they need to bring the MakerBot Academy 3D Printing bundle into the classroom

Participate in the Thingiverse Challenge to develop models teachers can use to improve Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education.For more information on MakerBot Academy, visit makerbot.com/Academy. For more information on supporting or registering for the program, visit DonorsChoose.org.

We’re proud to announce MakerBot Academy, an educational mission to put a MakerBot® Desktop 3D Printer in every school in the United States of America.The first MakerBot Academy initiative includes 3D printing bundles for classrooms, an awesome Thingiverse Challenge, and generous support from individuals and organizations.What You Can Do1. Get the word out. Tell the teachers you know to register at DonorsChoose.org.2. Support a school. Contribute to the effort by choosing a teacher; help get them set for the Next Industrial Revolution.3. Participate in the Thingiverse Challenge. Develop models that teachers can use to improve Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education.Responding to a Presidential Call to Action
At this year’s State Of The Union address, President Obama announced a new initiative to bring manufacturing jobs back to the US. He affirmed, “3D printing has the potential to revolutionize the way we make almost everything. The next industrial revolution in manufacturing will happen in America.”We’re inspired by the President’s commitment to keep America at the forefront of the Next Industrial Revolution and we’re eager to do our part to educate the next generation of innovative makers who will keep our economy strong.Let’s Get MakerBot Desktop 3D Printers into American Schools
Together with America Makes, and by leveraging the crowdfunding power of DonorsChoose.org, we’re launching our first MakerBot Academy initiative: Get thousands of MakerBot® Replicator® 2 Desktop 3D Printers into K-12 public school classrooms across the country — by December 31, 2013!Help a Public School Teacher Today >Here’s How We’ll Do It1. Public School Teachers. Full-time public school teachers can register on DonorsChoose.org and post a project request for a MakerBot Academy bundle, an ideal tool for a relevant STEM curriculum.2. MakerBot Academy Bundle. Each bundle contains a MakerBot Replicator 2, three spools of MakerBot® PLA Filament, and a full year of the MakerBot MakerCare™ Protection Plan.3. Generous Support. Parents, community leaders, and organizations: Browse DonorsChoose.org and give any amount to the MakerBot Academy project request that most inspires you. Consider a tax-deductible contribution to help multiple schools in your community – or nationwide!Add in a Thingiverse Challenge
One of the most requested items by math teachers are math manipulatives—tangible objects that help students develop conceptual understandings of math concepts. So as part of this current MakerBot Academy initiative, we’re launching a Thingiverse design challenge to create math manipulatives for teachers to download and 3D print with their eager students.Enter the Math Manipulatives Challenge >

To celebrate the launch of MakerBot Academy, we’re kicking off the MakerBot Academy Math Manipulative Challenge on Thingiverse. Math manipulatives are one of the most requested items on DonorsChoose.org. This challenge will allow teachers who receive MakerBot® Replicator® 2 Desktop 3D Printers to immediately print classroom tools after they unbox their new 3D printer.Design your own math manipulative for K-12 students. Click “Enter Challenge” on the Challenge Page and upload your design between November 12th and November 18th for a chance to be a winner. Sets must be tagged #MakerBotAcademyMath to be considered.Bre Pettis, former middle school teacher and MakerBot CEO, will select the First, Second, and Third Prize winners based on the designs’ printability, educational value, and creativity. Winners will receive filament, Thingiverse t-shirts, and have their creations featured on Thingiverse and in the MakerBot Retail Stores. In addition, the First Place winner can send a MakerBot Academy bundle to a classroom of their choice.Find out more details and how to enter, read the Official Rules, and follow the contest here!

Tuesday, 11/12, we announced MakerBot Academy, and a mission to put MakerBot® Desktop 3D Printer in every school in the United States of America.Our first initiative is to work with our partners and DonorsChoose.org to put thousands of MakerBot Academy 3D printing bundles into public school classrooms across the nation.Initial Progress Report
Teachers jumped into action. They’re rapidly registering their project requests on DonorsChoose.org and are making great progress on crowdfunding MakerBot Academy Bundles for their classrooms.25% Discount
MakerBot is providing each bundle for just $2,000. That’s a 25% discount from our normal retail price, making fundraising that much easier. Each bundle contains a MakerBot® Replicator® 2 Desktop 3D Printer, three spools of MakerBot® PLA Filament, and a year’s worth of the MakerBot® MakerCare™ Protection Plan.Teachers’ Note: MakerBot Academy bundles are subject to taxes, shipping & handling fees, and optional donation fees, which will vary by the location of your classroom. Please carefully review your DonorsChoose.org project request.Continuing Commitment to Brooklyn
Bre Pettis, CEO of MakerBot, has personally pledged to put a MakerBot® Replicator® 2 Desktop 3D Printer in public high schools in Brooklyn, NY (home of MakerBot HQ and where we manufacture all our desktop 3D printers and scanners). Bre encourages everyone to join MakerBot in this effort to help move America’s students to the forefront of technology and global competitiveness.What You Can Do1. Get the word out. Tell the teachers you know to register at DonorsChoose.org.2. Support a school. Contribute to the effort by choosing a teacher and making a donation. DonorsChoose.org is a 501(c)3 charity and donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of US law.3. Participate in the Thingiverse Challenge. Develop models that teachers can use to improve Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education.